California will get $7.1 million in settlement with GlaxoSmithKline

British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline will pay a total of $105 million to more than 40 states to settle allegations that the company illegally promoted its asthma and antidepressant drugs, and California will receive $7.1 million, the largest share, California Attorney General Kamala Harris said Wednesday.

As part of the settlement, GlaxoSmithKline will now be prohibited from paying salespeople incentives to encourage drugs to be used for “off-label,” or non-approved, conditions; and from using paid doctors to promote the company’s drugs.

GlaxoSmithKline was accused of illegally promoting its asthma drug, Advair, and antidepressant drugs, Paxil and Wellbutrin.

“Patient care is undermined when pharmaceutical companies promote uses for drugs that have not been approved by the FDA or pay medical professionals to promote certain drugs,” Harris said in a statement. “This settlement requires GSK to pay a significant penalty and imposes strong new rules designed to prevent future misrepresentations of GSK products.”

The company is also facing a separate, criminal probe in the United Kingdom. China has accused its employees of bribing doctors, hospitals and medical associations to boost drug sales.